Pathfinder Core Pro FAQs

How is Pathfinder Core PRO different from the Pathfinder software offerings from Axia?

Pathfinder Core PRO is a completely new product. It’s the second-generation of Livewire control ideal for stations that want reliable, redundant, system-wide routing control that is independent of a PC. It has several exclusive new features, like a new graphical web user interface with real-time state reporting and logic gates for creation of complex logic, all in a 2RU appliance. Generally speaking, Pathfinder Core PRO is easier to use, with more sophisticated and streamlined routing control over previous iterations.

Pathfinder Core PRO lets you consolidate control of your network operations, bringing all of your equipment together under one simple interface to create the most flexible workflows imaginable. It takes all of your Axia nodes and equipment and presents them as if they were a traditional single router, so you don’t need to jump from place to place to see and manipulate your facility’s routing infrastructure.

Can I trigger routing changes from studio consoles?

Yes. There are a variety of drop-in modules for our popular Axia Fusion consoles that you can use to change single routes, or execute predefined salvos based on time-of-day or GPIO. Rack-mount panels make it convenient to map Pathfinder routing commands to hardware buttons located elsewhere, too — like your TOC, engineering office, or communications room.

Can Pathfinder sense dead air?

Yes, there’s a Silence Detect function, including Silence, Audio Presence, and Clipping on Axia sources and destinations. With it, you can pick any audio stream in your network—say, your Program-1 output — and monitor it for signal loss. Once your “silence” condition is met, Pathfinder can take action by switching to a different audio input, flashing an alert to talent, or sending you an e-mail.

Can Pathfinder react to a system command? I’m thinking about EAS activation…

Sure. You can define Logic Flows in which Pathfinder Core PRO monitors GPI channels for external commands and takes action when predefined conditions are met. So you could use a Logic Flow to watch the GPIO output of your EAS decoder, and switch your main program output, along with your HD channels, to be fed by the output of your EAS gear until the GPI is released—upon which audio inputs are returned to their normal sources. Additionally Pathfinder Core PRO provides generic Device Emulators that allow you to define custo commands to send and watch for on a TCP port. So your automation system can send any command you desire and Pathfinder Core PRO can detect that command, act upon it with any action you see fit via a Logic Flow, and reply back with another custom command. Finally, Pathfinder Core PRO provides an advanced control protocol that exposes everything you might want an outside system to control.

Does Pathfinder Core PRO support clustering, like PathfinderPRO software?

Pathfinder Core PRO supports Axia and other protocols to allow you to create highly customized workflows. As the industry is learning the importance of common tools, open protocols are becoming hot topics. Pathfinder Core PRO was designed with an open architecture to easily incorporate other protocols. Pathfinder Core PRO includes Device Emulators (protocol translators) with multi-protocol support that can be used to send and receive any data.